Blown Engine...not blown, fine now

[JCL]

Yes, this can cause a hydraulic lock.

The head gasket separates the cylinders from the coolant passages from the oil passages. It depends entirely on which portion of the head gasket fails.

If it fails between the coolant and oil passages, the result is coolant in the oil sump or oil in the coolant.

If it fails around the cylinder the result is a loss of compression.

If it fails between the coolant jacket and cylinder, the result is usually bubbles in the header tank (when running) or coolant in the cylinder (after the engine is shut off). That latter one is the one that can result in the engine not turning over.

A hydraulic lock is usually catastrophic when the engine is running, resulting in bent rods, etc. A hydraulic lock when the engine is stopped usually just means it won't turn over until the sparkplugs are removed so the water can be pushed out.

Given the intolerance of BMW engines for overheating, all of the above is often followed by a cracked or warped head.

[Bostonblux5]

I drove it to the grocery store (about 1/4 mile) and on the way back (no more than 100 yards) the smoke started pouring. The temp gauge was perfectly in the middle the whole time.

[trooper]

I live in Minnesota and after leaving the x5 in sub zero temp, it had a very hard start the next morning. I let it warm up and drove it after about 5 minutes. A few miles down the road and my oil pressure dropped and the STOP! Oil Pressure Low and Oil Level low light came on. Originally, the shop said they thought it was a blown main seal off the transmission, but now they say they think its a blown header. They have taken it to BMW to get a diagnostic, but to replace two blown headers from the stealer is over $4,000.

The engine seems to be fine because they keep filling it up with oil to drive it to another shop and just keep replacing what is leaking. Very frustrating considering all the money I've put into this car for repairs which all happened after the 100K warranty was up.

I'll keep you all posted, but any thought would be helpful.

[Bostonblux5]

Well this is hardly an update, but I talked to the shop owner that I know (bear in mind he's more of an owner/ not tech savvy whatsoever) and he relayed the message that the problem was with an intake manifold valve and he gave me a part number of 11 61 753 4237.

I'm going to go through with the engine swap and I guess I have to replace the cat. converter(s) because of the amount of oil that passed through - he said that I would have a lot of smoke if I don't replace them.

So he's looking for an engine an I guess that will be the end of it for now.

My advice to anyone that gets an SES light would be to check it immediately. It could be something small like a loose gas cap, but it also might be the difference between fixing a small problem and replacing your engine.

Any thoughts about keeping the car after its fixed?
They told me that it should be fine with a new engine but what are your thoughts? Ideally I would love another year out of it, by then I would be done with grad school and hopefully have a decent job.

[Bostonblux5]

Well, I have great news. It turns out that I didn't need a new engine. My friends shop thought the diagnosis sounded fishy, asked around and eventually decided to dig in themselves.

They cleaned the engine and replaced a "breather kit" (according to my bill) pn 11617534237, the valve cover gasket, and a vaccuum hose . Its been runnning flawlessly for about a week now, with no warning lights, oil leaks, or smoke.

I'm not really sure what the deal was with the other shop, Autobahn Automotive, in Natick, MA, but I would stay away from them.

[crowagner]

03, X5, 88K miles, same thing happened last Monday am. Smoke from exhaust, pulled over, tried to drive again, then massive smoke and it died.

I am in the same shoes, do I pump $6500 to rebuild, $12 for new engine or sell for wholesale, they are offering $6000 (if that helps)

chris

[Bostonblux5]

First, I was quoted between $3,000 - $4,000 for a used engine (3.0i) from local junk yards. You should be able to find similar prices in your area and from reliable sources on ebay. Total price for the swap should be around $6-7k depending on the shop and what supporting parts you may need to replace.

With a job this big, I would definitely get a second opinion (preferably from a shop you trust or someone you know trusts). My engine turned out to be ok, needing only a $150 part (mentioned above).

With such an exaggerated quote for an engine, it would not surprise me if they are just trying to get you to sell it for $6k so they can do the job, sell it, and make a hefty profit.

Originally Posted by crowagner

03, X5, 88K miles, same thing happened last Monday am. Smoke from exhaust, pulled over, tried to drive again, then massive smoke and it died.

I am in the same shoes, do I pump $6500 to rebuild, $12 for new engine or sell for wholesale, they are offering $6000 (if that helps)

chris

[nra0707]

It's too bad to hear about Autobahn. They have a sister garage in Lexington, MA. I was thinking of using them for my other Bimmer. Thought they might be a good alternative to dealer garages who will gouge you on non-warranty vehicles.

[acitydweller]

yeah diagnostics is the most under appreciated skill in the auto repair field. Dealers go wrong about this all the time and so do local shops.

It really is the worst feeling when your car is unreliable. Im glad you have your car sorted out.

[HPIA4v2]

Originally Posted by acitydweller

yeah diagnostics is the most under appreciated skill in the auto repair field. Dealers go wrong about this all the time and so do local shops.

It really is the worst feeling when your car is unreliable. Im glad you have your car sorted out.

Diagnostic/debugging requires 3 things:
1) experience
2) techincal skill and most important...
3) care (if you don't care the other 2 above is useless).

That's why dealer rarely solve real problems, cause they don't care. To them we are just walking credit card.